Beauty Haul: See What I Picked Up During Milan Fashion Week!

If you've ever heard rumors of Italian women being rather obsessive about their looks, this tidbit may lend a bit of credibility: You can't even begin to imagine how many primping salons, beauty supply stores, and the like you'll find on any given block. Seriously, it's insane. What's even crazier? The fact that I can't ever come here (I was in Milan covering beauty backstage at the shows) and not shop till I drop. See which products I've scooped up after the jump...

Kiko Make Up Milano BB Cream SPF 15 in 05 Dark, 8.90 euros I've been dying (dying!) to try a BB Cream, but I've been a bit leery since not many brands have created one that caters to my chestnut-color complexion. The last thing I want is to pay to look like an ashy ghost. Thankfully, the darkest shade of this brand's BB Cream range disappears into my skin tone beautifully.

Kiko Make Up Milano Definition Waterproof Eyeliner in 01 Black, 6.90 euros My eyes tend to water like crazy in the winter, thanks to the super cold air and fast whipping winds, so I'm constantly patting my peepers dry. Translation: Waterproof everything is an absolute must.

Kiko Makeup Milano Natural Sponge, 5.90 euros My skin gets stressed when I'm traveling, so exfoliating at least once a day is necessary for me. Apparently washing my face with this gentle little puff (made from Japanese Konjac plant root) will smooth over my skin texture and help control excess oil production!

Kiko Make Up Milano Colour Sphere Eyeshadow in 05 Spicy Chocolate Special FX, 5.90 euros While backstage at the Blumarine show, I watched MAC makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury dust a soft, glistening chocolate brown eyeshadow across each model's eyelids, which I realized would be an amazing, easy-to-achieve every day look for me, not to mention a very welcomed departure from my 15-minutes-per-lid-and-still-slightly-wonky winged eyeliner look. (The fact that Pantene hairstylist Sam McKnight described the look as very 'rich bitch' is a mere bonus!)

Shaka Innovative Beauty September 4 Double Ended Travel Brushes, 6.99 euros | Shaka Innovative Beauty Kabuki Mini Brush, 4.99 euros You know what they say—you can never have too many brushes! I love that these are very compact in their own little cute carrying case (see top right and bottom left corner), and super soft (even though they're synthetic). And kabuki brushes are fabulous for blush!

Essence Cosmetics Eyebrow Designer in Dark Brown, 2.99 euros | Deborah Milano 24ore Eyebrow Pencil, 4.99 euros Backstage with Charlotte Tilbury again at Sportmax, I watched her build amazingly bold brows from scratch (bleached brows are still all the rage), and it as then that I knew I wanted to give the 'handsomely boyish brows' look a go. These two are dark enough to work with my skin tone and hair color, but light enough that my drawn on pair won't jump out and scare everyone.

Are you familiar with any of these brands and products? Have you ever used anything I just hauled? Do tell!